Mas D’Auzierès les Éclats 2009$16.95 (89 Points)
From southern France, this syrah-based red with grenache and mourvèdre is smooth and flavourful with savoury rustic notes, ripe fruit and hints of dark chocolate. There’s a stone and minerals uplift from its site where the soil has shards (“les Éclats”) of quartzite and iron-laced limestone. Have with pork sausages, burgers or souvlaki.

Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.